The Apple Blossom Handicap (USA-G1) on April 17 appeared to set up as a duel between two-time American champion Monomoy Girl and 2020 American champion 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver. Instead, another champion---2019 Mexican champion 3-year-old filly Letruska---upset the applecart. After a thrilling stretch duel in which Monomoy Girl appeared to have the upper hand, Letruska found just enough to drop her nose in front on the wire, with Swiss Skydiver (who simply seemed not to fire) a distant third after failing to take advantage of an opening on the rail.
While Letruska did have a 6-pound break in the weights, she had previously shown quality on American tracks after moving north from Mexico. She won three stakes races while racing at Saratoga and Gulfstream Park in 2020, including two Grade 3 events, and added another Grade 3 in her 2021 debut, the Houston Ladies Classic Stakes. She then got in a race over the Oaklawn Park surface with a second to 2020 Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) winner Shedaresthedevil in the Azeri Stakes (USA-G2) and was both seasoned and razor sharp going into the Apple Blossom.
Letruska is descended from the Sir Gallahad III mare Double Time, whose descendants through her Blue Larkspur daughter Alablue (winner of the 1948 Test Stakes) include Grade or Group 1 winners Cryptoclearance, Duke of Marmalade, Gabina, Galetto, George Navonod, Goldmark, Harlan's Holiday, Latin American, Trapp Mountain, Veedor, and Vigliotto. Letruska, however, descends from a different branch that springs from the Diavolo mare Duplication. While not as glittering as the Alablue branch of the family, Duplication's has had its moments, most recently through the descendants of her great-great-granddaughter Dream Harder.
A 1975 daughter of 1969 Breeders' Futurity winner Hard Work, Dream Harder was a useful but not outstanding racer who ran second in four stakes races. A prolific broodmare, she produced 14 named foals. of which 12 started and eight won. Her best was 1989 Santa Anita Oaks (USA-G1) winner Imaginary Lady (by Marfa), and though she produced no other stakes winners, four of her daughters became stakes producers.
Malibu Magic, a winning daughter of the Nijinsky II horse Encino, has proven the most important of the quartet with two Grade 1-producing daughters among her progeny. The first to come up with a top-tier horse was the winning Langfuhr mare Pacific Spell, whose daughter Proud Spell (by Proud Citizen) was the American champion 3-year-old filly of 2008 thanks to wins in the Kentucky Oaks and the Alabama Stakes (USA-G1). Pacific Spell is also the dam of listed stakes winner No Distortion (by Distorted Humor) and two stakes-placed runners.
Call Her Magic (by Caller I. D.) outdid Pacific Spell on the track, winning the listed Walkin In Da Sun Stakes at Delaware Park and taking down another black-type event at Monmouth Park, but was slower to come up with her best runner. This was J. P's Gusto, a 2008 son of Successful Appeal who won the 2010 Del Mar Futurity (USA-G1) and two other graded events as a juvenile. His stakes-placed half sister Kid Majic (by Lemon Drop Kid) is the dam of Miss Mischief (by Into Mischief), the Canadian champion older female and champion female sprinter of 2015. Another half sister to J P's Gusto, Magical Mist (by Congaree), is the dam of multiple stakes winner Swagger Jagger (by Crown of Thorns).
Letruska is out of Magic Appeal, a full sister to J P's Gusto who ran third in the 2009 Adirondack Stakes (USA-G2) as a juvenile and placed second in another black-type event for 2-year-olds. Prior to Letruska, she had produced Grade 1-placed listed stakes winner Trigger Warning (by Candy Ride) and listed stakes-placed American Doll (by Tiznow). Magic Appeal's most recent foals are the unraced Hard Spun colt Ocotzingo (a 2-year-old) and a 2020 colt by Arrogate, and she was bred to Malibu Moon for 2021.
Letruska came along too late to provide a boost to the stud career of 2010 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (USA-G1) winner Super Saver, who was exported to Turkey in the same deal that also sent Swiss Skydiver's sire Daredevil there in 2019. Nonetheless, she should be an interesting player in this year's older female division and has every prospect for fulfilling the dream of producing another fine runner when she takes her place in the paddocks, and that is as much as anyone can reasonably ask.
While Letruska did have a 6-pound break in the weights, she had previously shown quality on American tracks after moving north from Mexico. She won three stakes races while racing at Saratoga and Gulfstream Park in 2020, including two Grade 3 events, and added another Grade 3 in her 2021 debut, the Houston Ladies Classic Stakes. She then got in a race over the Oaklawn Park surface with a second to 2020 Longines Kentucky Oaks (USA-G1) winner Shedaresthedevil in the Azeri Stakes (USA-G2) and was both seasoned and razor sharp going into the Apple Blossom.
Letruska is descended from the Sir Gallahad III mare Double Time, whose descendants through her Blue Larkspur daughter Alablue (winner of the 1948 Test Stakes) include Grade or Group 1 winners Cryptoclearance, Duke of Marmalade, Gabina, Galetto, George Navonod, Goldmark, Harlan's Holiday, Latin American, Trapp Mountain, Veedor, and Vigliotto. Letruska, however, descends from a different branch that springs from the Diavolo mare Duplication. While not as glittering as the Alablue branch of the family, Duplication's has had its moments, most recently through the descendants of her great-great-granddaughter Dream Harder.
A 1975 daughter of 1969 Breeders' Futurity winner Hard Work, Dream Harder was a useful but not outstanding racer who ran second in four stakes races. A prolific broodmare, she produced 14 named foals. of which 12 started and eight won. Her best was 1989 Santa Anita Oaks (USA-G1) winner Imaginary Lady (by Marfa), and though she produced no other stakes winners, four of her daughters became stakes producers.
Malibu Magic, a winning daughter of the Nijinsky II horse Encino, has proven the most important of the quartet with two Grade 1-producing daughters among her progeny. The first to come up with a top-tier horse was the winning Langfuhr mare Pacific Spell, whose daughter Proud Spell (by Proud Citizen) was the American champion 3-year-old filly of 2008 thanks to wins in the Kentucky Oaks and the Alabama Stakes (USA-G1). Pacific Spell is also the dam of listed stakes winner No Distortion (by Distorted Humor) and two stakes-placed runners.
Call Her Magic (by Caller I. D.) outdid Pacific Spell on the track, winning the listed Walkin In Da Sun Stakes at Delaware Park and taking down another black-type event at Monmouth Park, but was slower to come up with her best runner. This was J. P's Gusto, a 2008 son of Successful Appeal who won the 2010 Del Mar Futurity (USA-G1) and two other graded events as a juvenile. His stakes-placed half sister Kid Majic (by Lemon Drop Kid) is the dam of Miss Mischief (by Into Mischief), the Canadian champion older female and champion female sprinter of 2015. Another half sister to J P's Gusto, Magical Mist (by Congaree), is the dam of multiple stakes winner Swagger Jagger (by Crown of Thorns).
Letruska is out of Magic Appeal, a full sister to J P's Gusto who ran third in the 2009 Adirondack Stakes (USA-G2) as a juvenile and placed second in another black-type event for 2-year-olds. Prior to Letruska, she had produced Grade 1-placed listed stakes winner Trigger Warning (by Candy Ride) and listed stakes-placed American Doll (by Tiznow). Magic Appeal's most recent foals are the unraced Hard Spun colt Ocotzingo (a 2-year-old) and a 2020 colt by Arrogate, and she was bred to Malibu Moon for 2021.
Letruska came along too late to provide a boost to the stud career of 2010 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (USA-G1) winner Super Saver, who was exported to Turkey in the same deal that also sent Swiss Skydiver's sire Daredevil there in 2019. Nonetheless, she should be an interesting player in this year's older female division and has every prospect for fulfilling the dream of producing another fine runner when she takes her place in the paddocks, and that is as much as anyone can reasonably ask.
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